THE Bacolod City Government broke ground for the construction of sanitary landfill Cell No. 5, which is adjacent to Cell No. 4, in Barangay Felisa on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
Mayor Greg Gasataya, who led the groundbreaking ceremony, said the city’s new garbage hauler — a joint venture composed of International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialists Inc. (I-SWIMS), D.C. Sandil Construction and Realty Development Inc., and San Igmedio Builders Inc. — was tasked to complete the project within 300 calendar days, or almost 10 months.
He said the city government allocated a total of P66 million for the project, which covers an area of two hectares.
“They are now clearing the area to start the construction of Cell No. 5, and they have signified their intent to finish the project earlier than the scheduled completion date,” he added.
The mayor noted that I-SWIMS is also implementing measures in Cell No. 4 to ensure that a landfill collapse incident similar to what occurred in Cebu City will not happen in Bacolod.
Gasataya said he is hopeful that this will be the last sanitary landfill construction, as the city is now working on a waste-to-energy project.
On January 26, 2026, a memorandum of agreement was signed between the Bacolod City Government and the Department of Energy for waste-to-energy (WTE) development.
The solar program aims to institutionalize energy efficiency in the public sector by deploying technologies such as light-emitting diode (LED) lighting systems, inverter-type air-conditioning units, smart metering, solar photovoltaic installations, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
These measures are expected to help government entities cut electricity and fuel consumption by at least 10 percent, in line with the Government Energy Management Program and national energy efficiency goals.
The event was also attended by Councilor Homer Bais, Environmental Management Bureau–Negros Island Region Officer-in-Charge Vicente Losbañes, Department of the Interior and Local Government-Bacolod Head Christian Nagaynay, and various department heads. (MAP)